SessKag Boat Day
by Chiera
Summary: Three short one shots (or bloated drabbles) I wrote for Stormie's Holiday Boat Extravaganza. All Canon universe, with varying degrees of Fluff.
1. Road Trip

**Road Trip**

* * *

Post Canon, Pre-Relationship

**726 words**

* * *

He had walked out from the line of the trees, his long silver-white hair glowing softly in the dim light of the budding dawn.

He'd stopped before her, his golden eyes unreadable as their gaze pierced her skin.

And then he had spoken the words.

"Come with me."

Kagome had not asked him where they were going.

At that point, it really didn't matter, as long as it was far, far away from Edo and her final heartbreak with Inuyasha.

She hadn't asked him where Jaken or Ah-Un were; somehow it no longer seemed weird to see Sesshoumaru alone.

They walked west, and the further along they got, the lighter Kagome's steps, the duller the ache in her chest.

Kagome first became curious of their destination a little over three weeks after they'd left Edo.

Though to be frank she wasn't sure how long they'd been travelling by then; she wasn't really keeping track and in any case the days of the daiyoukai's steady, silent presence, the endless walking, the passing scenery and the slow healing of the many hurts inside of her blended together.

But now, they did something that broke what had become routine: they boarded a trading vessel.

They actually left the main island to cross over to another island in the south.

Kagome turned her inquisitive gaze on Sesshoumaru. "We're going to Shikoku?"

"No, we are crossing over to Kyuushuu," the daiyoukai replied calmly, his long hair whipped about by the salt-scented wind.

"What? Wait." Kagome squinted across the ocean, at the faint line of land in the horizon. "How far have we walked? Since Edo?"

"Around three hundred _ri_," Sesshoumaru said, impassive.

"Three hundred…" Kagome muttered, frowning as she crunched the numbers in her head. "That's… What the heck! That's nearly a thousand kilometres! We've practically walked across Honshuu, from east to west."

Sesshoumaru shrugged, looking out to the sea. "Hn."

"Where on Earth are we _going_? To China?" Kagome asked, incredulous.

"We will go to witness history," Sesshoumaru said.

And as much as Kagome tried to pester him for the remainder of their brief journey at sea, that cryptic answer was all she got.

Once they landed on Kyuushuu, they resumed walking. Only this time, Kagome was paying much more attention to everything around her and kept scowling at Sesshoumaru's back as she followed him.

On the afternoon of their sixth day, they finally arrived at their destination.

It looked like a normal fishing village – similar to all the other ones littering Japan's long and many coasts.

And although this small village was a far cry from the city Kagome knew of in her time, she knew where they were the moment she looked out to the blue sea stretching far to the horizon beyond the village.

Because there, on the bay, a black ship was moored.

"So this is what you meant by witnessing history," Kagome said, her voice touched with awe.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied.

Kagome started towards the village, but when she realised Sesshoumaru wasn't following, she stopped and turned back to slant him a confused stare.

"Aren't we going? To see the Portuguese?"

"I do not care for the humans, foreign or not."

"You don't… What? Why are we here? What did you wish to see then?"

"The vessel with which these humans have crossed the world," Sesshoumaru said, staring out to the sea and at the moored ship.

"The… You're telling me we walked across half the country so you could see a boat?" Kagome cried, incredulous.

"Hn."

"I can't believe this," Kagome huffed, throwing her hands in the air.

"I did have a secondary objective," Sesshoumaru admitted after a moment, turning away from the Portuguese ship. "And I am glad to see it fulfilled."

Kagome met his gaze, her blue eyes sparking her temper.

"Oh, and what would that be, making a fool out of me?"

"No. To aid you to recover your spirit, miko."

Kagome's mouth snapped shut. The angry spark faded from her eyes.

And the heart that had been heavy and aching before they'd set out on their trip four weeks ago, was now whole and quivering in her chest.

Overwhelmed, she turned away from his knowing stare and studied the ship, drawing deep breaths to calm herself.

Her voice was still a little choked when she spoke at last.

"It's beautiful."


	2. High Summer

**High Summer**

* * *

Established relationship / Domestic Fluff

**691 words**

* * *

Kagome sat on the shadowed _engawa_, stripped down to minimal layers of kimono and fanning herself against the aggressive summer heat. The incessant chirping of cicadas filled the air.

Out in the garden, unperturbed by the merciless sun beating down on them, the children were playing by the pond.

She smiled at their exuberance and at little Yuumaru trying so hard to keep up with his older sisters.

At least now the fish were safe; they'd had to remove all the koi fish from the pond because catching them had become Yuumaru's favourite past time.

Much as Sesshoumaru might puff out his chest and praise his son's excellent hunting instincts, Kagome felt sorry for the poor fish.

Shrieks, giggles and splashes of water carried across the garden.

Swimming might not be a bad idea, Kagome mused.

Perhaps she would take the children swimming tomorrow. After all, the summer heat would persist for a few more weeks.

Just the thought of it made Kagome groan.

"We need a summer house," she murmured, fanning herself even though her wrist was tiring.

"Do we now?" her mate remarked, his deep voice touched by amusement.

"Yes. Somewhere in the mountains. Or maybe by a lake," Kagome said, picturing a cool oasis.

"Oh, is that all?" he asked, chuckling.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "It's a perfectly reasonable suggestion, why are you laughing at me?"

Sesshoumaru chuckled again. "I am laughing, beloved, because I remember a time you were hesitant to make your home here, a time you considered this house to be 'too much'. You seem to have adapted splendidly."

Kagome hummed and turned to look at him.

"A lot has happened since then."

"Indeed," he agreed, his gaze flicking to the three hanyou children by – and partially in – the pond.

He reached out, the tips of his claws skimming down her back. "If it is a summer house you want, my miko, then you shall get it."

Kagome smiled at him, then leaned in to rest her head against his shoulder. "You spoil me, Sesshoumaru," she said.

"I provide you with the care you deserve," he corrected her, nonplussed.

It was too hot to argue, so Kagome let it pass.

"What are you carving, anyway?" she asked, glancing at the piece of wood Sesshoumaru was working on.

"Something for Yuumaru," he replied.

"Another toy dog?" Kagome asked, smiling as she thought of the toys he had carved for the girls when they had been younger. Sa-chan still carried hers everywhere.

"You will see," Sesshoumaru said.

"Keep your secrets, then," Kagome told him. "I'm thinking of taking the children out swimming tomorrow."

"That is a good idea," Sesshoumaru said. He ran his fingers through her hair, before going back to his carving.

* * *

The next day, as Kagome had planned, they went swimming. There was a small and secluded lake in a nearby forest and that was where they headed.

The moment there was a glimpse of water in the distance, the girls squealed and broke into a run.

Yuumaru, who had been walking between his parents, holding hands with the both of them, now tugged impatiently, eager to toddle after the girls.

"Yuumaru," Sesshoumaru called, and the boy instantly calmed.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kagome and stopped. He crouched down, to look his son in the eye.

"Before you go swimming I have something for you."

From his sleeve, he pulled out a small toy boat, carved in perfect detail and featuring three masts fitted with sails.

Yuumaru grabbed the toy, cradled it to his chest.

"That is a very nice boat," Kagome said, ruffling Yuumaru's hair. "What should you tell your father?"

"Thank you, father," Yuumaru replied promptly.

Then he hurried off after his sisters, holding the toy boat high above his head.

Kagome took Sesshoumaru's hand, entwining her fingers with his as they resumed walking through the last stretch of the dappled shade.

She squeezed his hand.

"I love you, Sesshoumaru."

"This Sesshomaru would certainly hope so, beloved."

Kagome's laughter rang out, warmer than the sunlight kissing their skin as they stepped out from the cover of the trees to the shore of the lake.


	3. Lost and Found

**Lost and Found**

* * *

Canon divergence

**654 words**

* * *

A rural fishing village out in the west had perhaps not been Kagome's number one pick for a holiday destination but then, she had travelled to stranger places in the span of her 25 years on the planet – namely, several centuries into the past.

Besides, this holiday trip wasn't for _her_, anyway.

She was merely there to accompany her grandfather, still spry despite his advanced years, to see an old friend of his who was managing a famed local shrine.

While her grandfather sat on the _engawa_ of his friend's house, deep in conversation in the warm spring weather, Kagome slipped out to explore the village.

After the crowded and hectic Tokyo, it felt cathartic to stroll along the main street of the small and sleepy village.

The houses lining the street were all built in the traditional Japanese style.

The steady crash of the waves thrummed in the background, like a soft heartbeat, the clean salty tang of sea air filled Kagome's lungs.

Looking around the village, she could almost imagine that time had stopped.

The fishers went out, in their small boats, to get their day's catch; earning their living in the same manner their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers had done, and the many other generations before them.

Idly, she wondered if this village had been here as early on as the Sengoku Jidai.

Probably.

Perhaps, once upon a time, she might have even have stopped here during her travels with Inuyasha and her other friends.

A wistful smile tugged at her lips, and to distract herself from the old ache rising in her chest and the thoughts threatening to drag her back into the past she couldn't return to, Kagome stepped off the main street and walked towards the sea.

She didn't go to the beach often enough, Kagome reflected.

The vast blue sea stretched out before her. She looked to the horizon, comforted by both the sight and the rushing of the waves in her ears that drowned out all other sounds.

The cool wind tugged at her hair and she hugged herself.

The next second, a shiver raced down Kagome's spine.

At first, she thought it to be the bite of the wind, but when a second shiver rushed through her, she focused on the sensation stirring inside of her – and gasped.

The hairs at the back of her neck rose, goosebumps erupted over the skin of arms and Kagome frantically looked about, but all she could see was a lone fishing boat at a distance, making its way to the shore.

Standing at the edge of the surf, her instincts thrumming like a chord that had been struck, she squinted at the boat and waited.

His silver-white hair had been cropped short, his bright golden eyes dulled to amber. The vivid markings were gone from his regal face but Kagome recognised him instantly.

Breathless, her heart racing in her chest, she met his gaze, held it.

He tilted his head studying her as the waves brought him to shore.

There was a haunted look in his eyes, and he stepped out of his boat, leaving his fishing nets and the bucket filled to the brim with fish behind.

He waded through the shallow water separating them, and stopped to stand before her.

His fingers trembled as he reached out.

Kagome started when his cold, calloused fingers cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes, swallowing past the lump lodged in her throat, willed back the tears burning under her eyelids.

She took a step, burrowed her face against his chest, wound her arms around him.

He held her to him, so tight it was almost bruising, and she felt his sharp inhale against the top of her head as he buried his nose in her hair.

His voice was gruffer than she'd ever heard it, but the single word he whispered came out like a fervent prayer.

"Miko."


End file.
